School attendance is compulsory throughout Australia between the ages of 6-15 years (16 years in South Australia and Tasmania). Most children start primary school at around five years of age. The final two years of secondary schooling generally fall outside the compulsory stage of education. Despite this, just under 88% of the cohort of students who entered secondary school in 1998 or 1999 (depending on the state or territory of schooling) continued on to Year 11 in 2002, and 75% continued to Year 12 in 2003.

Although each state and territory has developed its own approach to schooling, moves are underway across Australia to standardise core education curriculum modules (such as Mathematics, Science and English) and age of commencement of students. Queensland, which is currently trialling the provision of Pre-year 1 school education, is expected to extend this across the whole state within the next 3-4 years. The expectation is that these changes will then ensure all Australian children have access to 13 years of schooling, on a comparable basis, transferable anywhere in Australia.

Primary schooling in most states and territories begins with a preparatory or kindergarten year, followed by six or seven primary grades. Secondary schooling then involves a further six or five years to complete a full course of school study.

Changes in school commencement ages in Western Australia in 2001 resulted in a smaller than usual cohort in Pre-year 1 (called Pre-primary in Western Australia) in 2002 and Year 1 in 2003. This smaller group is expected to continue on to Year 2 in 2004 and finally leave the school system in Year 12 in 2014.

School organisation and operation

Primary schooling provides a general elementary program lasting for seven or eight years until Year 6 or Year 7. Students enter secondary schools at Year 7 in some state (or territory) systems and at Year 8 in others. Primary and secondary schools are usually separate institutions, but in some areas there are central, combined or area schools which provide both levels of schooling. In Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, the final two years of government schooling are undertaken at separate secondary colleges.

Generally, schools in Australia have a considerable degree of autonomy. Most states and territories have established regional administrations which are responsible for matters such as planning school buildings and deploying staff, while a central curriculum unit provides general guidelines on course planning. Typically, individual schools determine teaching and learning approaches within the given guidelines and offer various course options. The assessment of students varies across states and territories, some having a completely school-based assessment system, while others combine school-based assessment with external examinations.

Primary schooling

In early primary education, the main emphasis is on the development of basic language and literacy skills, simple arithmetic, moral and social education, health training and some creative activities.

In the upper primary years the focus is on development of the skills learned in earlier years. English, mathematics, social studies, science, music appreciation, art and craft, physical education and health are studied. There are also optional subjects such as religious instruction, foreign and community languages, and specific music courses.

Secondary schooling

In some systems the first one or two years of secondary school consist of a general program which is undertaken by all students, although there may be some electives. In later years, a basic core of subjects is retained, with students able to select additional optional subjects. In other systems, students select options from the beginning of secondary school.

In senior secondary years, a wider range of options is available in the larger schools and there is an increasing trend towards encouraging individual schools to develop courses suited to the needs and interests of their students, subject to accreditation and moderation procedures. There is also an increasing emphasis on the incorporation of vocational programs into the senior secondary curriculum. School students may obtain certificates and undertake New Apprenticeships in the VET sector as part of their senior school study and undertake some parts of their programs in the workplace.

Students reaching the minimum school leaving age may leave school and seek employment, or enrol in a vocational course with a VET institution, such as a technical and further education (TAFE) institution or a private business college. For many VET courses, completion of Year 10 of secondary school is a minimum entry requirement. For those continuing to the end of secondary school (Year 12), opportunities for further study are available at higher education institutions, VET institutions and other educational institutions. For students continuing to higher education, eligibility to undertake university courses is almost always based on completion (at a satisfactory level) of a senior secondary school certificate.

Other schooling arrangements

Children may be exempted from the requirement of compulsory attendance at a school if they live too far from a school or have a disability. These children receive tuition through a variety of educational delivery mechanisms, including distance education, School of the Air, and use of computer and facsimile technologies.

Children of some Indigenous groups in remote areas of the Northern Territory, who live in small decentralised communities, receive schooling mainly in Homeland Learning Centres or Catholic Indigenous schools. They are taught by Indigenous teaching assistants supported by visiting teachers from established schools.

Boarding facilities are available at some non-government schools, mainly in the larger towns and cities. A small number of government schools, in particular those catering for groups such as Indigenous people, have residential hostels located close by.

Children may receive tuition at home, but they must have applied to their state or territory Department of Education for permission. They must be enrolled as a student at a day school and be available when required for assessment against the regular school year curriculum.

Special education is provided by government and non-government authorities in special classes or units in regular schools, by withdrawal from regular classes for periods of intensive assistance by special staff, or in specialist schools. In all states and territories, and particularly in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, parents have formed voluntary organisations to establish additional schools catering for their children's special needs. The Australian Government provides funds to states and territories, non-government authorities and community groups to assist in the provision of services and upgrading of special education facilities.

Schools, students, and teaching staff

There were 9,607 schools operating in Australia at the time of the 2003 schools census (August 2003) of which 72% were government schools. There were 154,872 full-time, plus full-time equivalent (FTE) of part-time, teaching staff employed in government schools (67% of all teachers) and a further 74,704 employed in non-government schools (table 10.3).

In August 2003, 3.3 million students (FTE) were attending primary and secondary schools, comprising 2.3 million (68%) in government schools and 1.1 million (32%) in non-government schools. Between 1998 and 2003 the number of students (FTE) attending government schools increased by 15,300 (0.7%), while the number of students attending non-government schools increased by 105,400 (11.0%) (table 10.4).

Table 10.5 shows the percentage of school students (FTE) in 2003 by level of education. Among primary school students, 71.7% attended government schools and 28.3% attended non-government schools. For the secondary school students, 62.9% attended government schools and 37.1% attended non-government schools. Approximately a fifth of all school students attended Catholic schools (18.9% of primary school students and 21.1% of secondary school students).

10.5 STUDENTS(a), By level/year of education-August 2003

Non-government schools

All schools

Government schools

Catholic

Independent

Total

Males

Females

Persons

%

%

%

%

%

%

'000

Primary

Pre-year 1(b)

71.1

20.0

8.9

28.9

51.6

48.4

214.7

Year 1

71.3

19.6

9.2

28.7

51.3

48.7

253.5

Year 2

71.9

19.4

8.7

28.1

51.2

48.8

264.2

Year 3

71.9

19.1

8.9

28.1

51.2

48.8

268.9

Year 4

71.9

19.1

9.0

28.1

51.2

48.8

268.5

Year 5

71.4

19.0

9.6

28.6

51.1

48.9

270.7

Year 6

71.1

18.8

10.2

28.9

51.2

48.8

269.0

Year 7 (Qld, SA, WA, NT)

72.4

15.8

11.9

27.6

51.0

49.0

103.9

Ungraded

87.7

1.5

10.8

12.3

66.5

33.5

17.2

Total

71.7

18.9

9.4

28.3

51.4

48.6

1,930.6

Secondary

Year 7 (NSW, Vic.,Tas., ACT)

61.7

23.3

14.9

38.3

51.1

48.9

166.2

Year 8

62.9

21.5

15.6

37.1

51.1

48.9

266.9

Year 9

63.2

21.2

15.6

36.8

50.9

49.1

262.7

Year 10

63.0

21.0

16.0

37.0

50.6

49.4

254.3

Year 11

62.6

20.5

16.9

37.4

49.2

50.8

229.2

Year 12

61.1

21.5

17.4

38.9

47.5

52.5

199.3

Ungraded

88.7

3.1

8.2

11.3

61.3

38.7

21.2

Total

62.9

21.1

16.0

37.1

50.3

49.7

1,399.7

All students

68.0

19.8

12.1

32.0

50.9

49.1

3,330.3

(a) Full-time equivalent students.(b) Pre-year 1 now includes a small number of Qld students engaged in a trial of Pre-year 1 education.

Graph 10.6 shows student/teacher ratios by category of school by level, in 1993 and 2003. These ratios represent the number of (FTE) students divided by (FTE) teaching staff. The most significant reduction in these ratios between 1993 and 2003 was an almost 2 percentage point decrease for primary schools - down from 18.5 students per teacher in 1993 to 16.6 in 2003. Among secondary schools, both the Catholic and Independent schools showed decreases (from 13.8 to 13.1, and 12.3 to 11.1 respectively). Government secondary schools reported a small increase from 12.3 to 12.5 students per teacher over the same period. Non-government schools had a higher student/teacher ratio than government schools in 1993 (16.0 and 15.3 respectively). In 2003 the student/teacher ratio for non-government schools was lower than for government schools (14.3 and 14.6 respectively). Both school systems showed decreases in their student/teacher ratios between 1993 and 2003.

Apparent retention rates

Apparent retention rates are important measures of the performance of education systems and related government policies. The apparent retention rate is an estimate of the percentage of students of a given cohort who continued to a particular level or year of education. For instance, in 2003 the apparent retention rate of full-time secondary school students from Year 7/8 to Year 12 was 75.4%. As in previous years, the 2003 apparent retention rate for female students (80.7%) was higher than the corresponding rate for male students (70.3%).

Table 10.7 shows apparent retention rates from Year 10 to Year 12 rather than from the commencement of secondary schooling, where attendance due to age requirements is generally compulsory. Retention rates have been calculated for full-time students, and for all students.

The apparent retention rate in 2003 of all students from Year 10 to Year 12 was 3.1 percentage points higher than the 1998 rate.

Care should be taken in interpreting apparent retention rates as the method of calculation does not take into account a range of factors. These include students who repeat a year of education, migration and other net changes to the school population.

Indigenous school students

In August 2003 there were 84,149 full-time equivalent (FTE) Indigenous students attending primary schools and a further 42,247 (FTE) Indigenous students attending secondary schools (table 10.8).

Most Indigenous students (88%) attended government schools in 2003. Of the remainder attending non-government schools, most were attending Catholic schools (65%). The increase in ungraded students between primary and secondary education is mostly attributable to the classification of secondary-age students in Northern Territory remote Homeland Learning Centres as ungraded. This is due to the difficulty of classifying such students in terms of the normal secondary grade structure.

10.8 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT OF INDIGENOUS SCHOOL STUDENTS - August 2003

Non-government schools

Government schools

Catholic

Independent

Total

All schools

Primary

Pre-year 1(a)

7,533

718

209

927

8,460

Year 1

9,735

861

262

1,123

10,858

Year 2

10,363

886

298

1,184

11,547

Year 3

10,416

842

334

1,176

11,592

Year 4

10,113

857

289

1,146

11,259

Year 5

10,134

901

340

1,241

11,375

Year 6

9,946

856

292

1,148

11,094

Year 7 (Qld, SA, WA, NT)

5,731

442

255

697

6,428

Ungraded

1,277

36

223

259

1,536

Total

75,249

6,399

2,502

8,900

84,149

Secondary

Year 7 (NSW, Vic., Tas., ACT)

3,650

331

77

408

4,058

Year 8

8,600

883

607

1,490

10,090

Year 9

7,725

762

535

1,297

9,022

Year 10

6,433

710

450

1,160

7,593

Year 11

4,178

579

364

943

5,121

Year 12

2,530

417

228

645

3,176

Ungraded

2,250

209

729

938

3,187

Total

35,366

3,891

2,990

6,881

42,247

Total

110,614

10,290

5,491

15,781

126,396

(a) Pre-year 1 now includes a small number of Qld students engaged in a trial of Pre-year 1 education.

Graph 10.9 shows a decline in numbers of Indigenous school students at secondary school level, after Year 7. This decline is most marked in government schools and is due to a number of factors, such as declining retention, movement of students to non-government schools and to the difficulty in allocating a specific grade for some students. The number of Indigenous students attending non-government schools remained relatively stable across the early grades, followed by a slight increase in Year 8 students, then a moderate drop-off until Year 12.

Table 10.10 shows an increase in (FTE) Indigenous students attending school between 1998 and 2003, from 102,488 to 126,396 students. New South Wales and Queensland experienced the largest increases in (FTE) Indigenous school student numbers, by 8,041 and 7,360 respectively. The number of (FTE) Indigenous students attending primary and secondary schools increased in every state and territory over the period.

Between 1998 and 2003 overall growth of (FTE) Indigenous students attending school was 23%. With the exception of the Northern Territory, all states had growth of between 20% and 30%. The Northern Territory grew by 6.5%. Secondary school (FTE) Indigenous students grew by 32% between 1998 and 2003, compared with 19% for primary students.

10.10 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT INDIGENOUS SCHOOL STUDENTS, By level of education - August

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT(a)

Aust.

PRIMARY

Students

1998

19,185

3,412

19,242

4,511

11,697

2,422

9,629

475

70,572

2003

23,835

4,377

23,541

5,230

13,871

2,837

9,808

651

84,149

SECONDARY

Students

1998

9,941

1,750

8,712

1,543

4,470

1,709

3,440

350

31,915

2003

13,332

2,321

11,774

2,075

6,073

2,159

4,110

403

42,247

TOTAL

Students

1998

29,126

5,162

27,954

6,054

16,167

4,131

13,068

825

102,488

2003

37,167

6,699

35,314

7,304

19,944

4,996

13,918

1,054

126,396

(a) Includes Indigenous students from one government primary school in Jervis Bay Territory.

The retention of Indigenous students in senior secondary schools has increased over the five-year period ending 2003. The growth in retention generally has been more notable than is the case for non-Indigenous students (table 10.11).

The apparent retention rate for Indigenous students to Year 12 rose 7.0 percentage points from 1998 to 2003 compared with a rise of 3.8 percentage points for non-Indigenous students over the same period. Nonetheless, retention of Indigenous students in secondary schools remains below that for non-Indigenous students. The apparent retention rate to Year 12 was 39.1% in 2003 for Indigenous and 76.5% for non-Indigenous students.

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